Funding from RSrnYC Trust has helped to make sailing and boating accessible for around 200 people
For more than five years, the Royal Southern Yacht Club (RSrnYC) Trust has awarded funding to Cowes Sailability Club to help it provide accessible sailing and boating activities for people with a wide range of disabilities and long-term health issues. It is estimated that around 200 people have now benefited from activities or resources funded or part-funded by the Trust throughout this period.
“The Royal Southern Yacht Club Trust was set up following a bequest from the late Sir Michael Cobham with the aim of enabling and encouraging sailing activities for all,” explains Shira Robinson, a trustee for the Royal Southern Yacht Club Trust. “Cowes Sailability Club is a deserving recipient of our support as it does truly make water-based activities accessible to everyone, including those with physical and learning disabilities and wheelchair users.”
Ben Cooper is one of the young people who benefited from activities organised by Cowes Sailability Club and funded by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in 2022. His mum Sarah says: “Ben has downs syndrome, and this often limits the range of activities that he can participate in. He finds social environments quite challenging, but responds well to the volunteers at Cowes Sailability Club, who provide him with the support and encouragement he needs to have a really rewarding experience. Going on a boat trip is something that Ben would otherwise never be able to do.”
In 2022, the Royal Southern Yacht Club Trust sponsored one day of Cowes Sailability Club’s annual Cowes Week activities, enabling 40 people to have an exhilarating trip on an accessible motorboat and experience the world-renowned sailing regatta from the sea. In previous years, the Trust has supported the Club’s weekly sailing activities by helping to maintain ‘Iris’, a sailing boat suitable for use by people with limited mobility.
“We passionately share the Trust’s aim of making sailing accessible to everyone and work hard to try to create as many opportunities as possible for people with disabilities to enjoy sailing and boating,” says Trish Rooke, Fundraising Officer for Cowes Sailability Club. “We are so grateful to the Trustees of the Royal Southern Yacht Club Trust for their support over recent years, and are delighted that so many people have benefited from the funding they have provided.”